


Privacy

by crystallized-iron (Somiko_Raven)



Series: September 2018 Prompts [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Based on a Longer Fic, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Pre-Relationship, Prompt Fill, September 2018 Prompt Set
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-01
Updated: 2018-09-01
Packaged: 2019-07-05 16:04:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15867033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Somiko_Raven/pseuds/crystallized-iron
Summary: Steve realizes how difficult it has been for Tony living in his small home so far.





	Privacy

**Author's Note:**

> [September 2018 Prompt List](http://downwithwritersblock.tumblr.com/post/177615854988) made by [downwithwritersblock](https://downwithwritersblock.tumblr.com/)
> 
> [Prompt fill set in the A Lie to Live universe!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10717800)

It had been about a week since Tony had come to Steve’s for safety away from Obadiah, but if there was one thing he missed about living in the old Stark home with the cruel man that had inherited everything, it was privacy.

Steve lived alone in a small house on the edge of the city. If he had known he would be housing a guest for so long, perhaps he would have invested in something bigger, but Tony showing up unannounced after running away, gasping for breath as he desperately tried to calm his ailing heart, had been quite the surprise, Tony knew. One couldn’t just predict something like that.

But because Steve’s place was so small, Tony was stuck in the living room, sleeping on a chair that still wasn’t the most comfortable, even with a soft blanket between it and him. He could easily see into the kitchen, which might have been even smaller, and to get to the washroom, he would need to pass through the bedroom, which wasn’t so bad when Steve was out, but it felt very awkward when he was around.

Tony sighed, rubbing at his eyes after yet another night of little rest. It seemed he always got his best sleep at the table, passing out after hours of working on a new pump to keep him alive. He was trying his best to build something that was better than what Yinsen was able to accomplish before his murder, but needing to examine it to see how exactly it worked. He already realized that Yinsen had somehow managed to power it with his own magic, even when there was a great distance between them, and Tony had never known until a few days earlier. Learning that had answered Tony’s constant question of a power source, but it also meant he would now need to find a way to power the new pump with his own magic.

And when he did try to use his magic again after years of keeping it hidden? It barely worked. He was going to have to relearn his own gift.

“Hey,” Steve greeted as he came in from the bedroom, hair a mess, pants at his waist but undone, no shirt. The man yawned with a stretch, not noticing the staring from his unexpected longterm houseguest.

“Yeah… morning to you too,” Tony replied, tearing his eyes away to stare at the table instead.

“Sleep any better?”

“Nope. I kept thinking about the pump all night, and about how much time I have to get this figured out.”

Steve looked at him, concern swimming in his eyes. “You need a break sometime.”

“I don’t, I’ll be fine.”

“You’re not sleeping,” Steve stated.

“So?”

“So tonight, you sleep in the bed.”

Tony turned to him once more. “Are you serious?”

“I am. You need to sleep, Tony, your brain needs a break, whether you think so or not.”

“That’s _your_ bed though, Steve.”

“And? I am _telling you_ to use it, Tony,” Steve reminded him. “If you want to stay at your best, you need your rest.”

Tony quietly nodded, watching as Steve turned to go back to the bedroom. “Um, I’ll… take it for tonight… Thank you.”

Glancing to Tony with a smile, Steve said, “You’re welcome.”

“And could I use the washroom before you?”

“Oh, uh, sure.”

“Thank you,” Tony quickly told him as he got up from the chair, hurrying through the bedroom.

* * *

It was the middle of the night when Steve sat up awake again, having a fitful sleep. The chair really was uncomfortable for long periods, and now Steve realized he would need to go through the bedroom to get to the washroom without waking up the person in the bed. It was a big ‘duh’ moment for him. Tony had been dealing with this every single night since coming here.

Deciding to take a chance and go for it, Steve got out of the chair, loud creaking following him before it quieted. Going to the bedroom door, he stopped. The door was shut. While that wasn’t a surprise, it did remind him how loud it could be at times. That would surely wake him.

**…**

They were going to have to discuss sleeping arrangements in the morning.

And when morning did come, it was with Steve waking to a blushing Tony standing in the bedroom doorway. Confused at first, Steve glanced at himself, finding that the blanket covering him had fallen to the floor, baring him to all. With a blush of his own, he slowly pulled it back up, covering himself while Tony retreated back into the bedroom, the door slamming shut.

They were definitely discussing things later.


End file.
